Shopian: The new contracts given for mining of minerals in rivulets, streams and rivers in south Kashmir’s Shopian and Pulwama district have left hundreds of manual labourers jobless, as heavy machinery like bulldozers has been brought in to excavate the minerals. Such use of heavy machinery is also causing environmental destruction as it violates principles of scientific mining.
Local sources said that the outsiders who have won mining contracts have sublet the work to local contractors, who are now using heavy machinery without any environmental clearance.
Nazir Ahmad Ganie, a labourer in Nickas village of Pulwama, said that 40 people in his village are now jobless since the local Romshi rivulet was auctioned for mining a few months ago.
“I neither have any land nor any other source of income. For years we have been excavating minerals from this rivulet manually, but now we are not allowed to do so,” Ganie said.
He added that local labourers also held a protest recently, which was dispersed by the contractor by bringing police.
Another labourer from the area said that since bulldozers were brought for excavation, nobody employs them, as the machine does the work in much less time.
Local residents complained that the contractors have dug huge trenches in the ground, so deep that a person can fall to death in them.
“When labourers were removing minerals manually they did not make deep pits, but once the machines were brought for the same, river beds as well as the river banks have been severely damaged,” said Muhammad Aabid, an environmentalist.
Not only rendering people jobless and causing environmental destruction, the rates of the minerals have also doubled compared to that of last year.
“Last year we bought a tractor load of sand at Rs 850 but this year the rate for the same tractor is Rs 1600 in Shopian and almost similar in Pulwama,” said Tariq Ahmad Mir, a resident of Shopian.
Majid Aziz Bhat, district geology and mining officer in Shopian, told Kashmir Reader that no contractor has obtained environmental clearance from the department.
“People are illegally excavating minerals. We have lodged FIRs against 60 people who were excavating minerals without environmental clearance or stealing the minerals. Some of the contractors take advantage of night but we will not allow them to work till they obtain environmental clearance and work under the guidelines,” Bhat said adding that nine such contractors have applied for environmental clearances and work on approval is underway.
“We are going to write a letter to the non-local contractors about the environmental clearance documents,” he said.
On the matter of local labourers being rendered jobless, he said that the minerals were auctioned by the government and anyone who has concerns about livelihood should take up the matter with the appropriate authorities.

Raashid Hassan